For A Reason
by Canadian Spark
Summary: Penelope has always believed that everything happens for a reason, and being pregnant with Derek Morgan's child won't change that. The only hitch? Derek doesn't know, and if Penelope has anything to say about it, he never will.
1. For A Reason

**This is my first Criminal Minds fic, and I haven't watched all the episodes yet, so go easy on me if something doesn't correspond to the show.**

**This is like a prologue, short and simple, just to get you caught up.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, I'm just borrowing them.**

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Garcia stared at the stick, her hands trembling. "Shit, shit, shit..." she muttered under her breath, pacing back and forth. She would stop and curse at the little blue plus sign, put it down on the counter, then pick it up again as if hoping the results had changed. "What do I do now?" she whispered brokenly, tears sliding freely down her cheeks.

It had just been one time. Morgan had got off his flight after a really difficult child abuse case. An eight year-old boy had been murdered after trying to fight off his long-time abuser. The unsub had developed a taste for necrophilia alongside his pedophilia after that kill. In the end, five boys were killed before the unsub, an elementary school teacher, had been caught. It was cases like that which affected Derek the most.

He had come by to pick up Clooney, who she would often watch when he was away, and had somehow fallen into bed with her instead. The next morning he had woken up, taken one look at her, and bolted. He avoided her like the plague and the playful banter between them came to an abrupt halt. If the team noticed the change, they didn't say anything.

Penelope for her part, was heartbroken. She had long ago fallen in love with Derek Morgan, and when he had so blatantly rejected her, she knew she had been right to hide her feelings for so long. How could someone like Derek ever feel attracted to someone like her? He had a type: slim, athletic, fashionable, and compliant. They would worship him in public and no one would give them strange looks. Yet, even when he and Penelope had gone out as friends, people would smirk and make jibes about what he could possibly see in her. After all, why would the gorgeous Derek Morgan, an FBI agent, and a walking Adonis, be interested in the fat, geeky computer tech?

Now, looking at the positive pregnancy test, she knew she was being tested. She was pregnant with the child of a man who could barely look at her. The man she loved would ignore her, he most likely wouldn't notice if she started to show her pregnancy. If he did, she would tell him it was Kevin's. No one but her knew that Kevin was gay, and she knew he would gladly play the role of expecting father should she ask. That would work until the child was born, and by that time she would hopefully be approved for a transfer.

He would never know that the child was his. He didn't deserve to be punished for one night, a night he clearly regretted.

Suddenly, a thought hit her. "I'm going to be a mother. A single mother, but a mother nonetheless." She smiled, it didn't matter that she was going to do this alone, she was happy. After all, everything happens for a reason.

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**Should I continue? **


	2. Worth It

**Wow, I've got to say I was surprised by the overwhelming response from the prologue. I usually don't get more than three reviews on my other fics, but I guess there are a lot of Morgan/Garcia Shippers out there! To show my appreciation, I'm going to write up another short chapter for you, once again in Garcia's POV. Morgan's side will come out later; I know you're all curious about him.**

**Please keep in mind that I don't have the chapters pre-written, and I have no beta. So there will be slow updates and all mistakes are my own. Also, I don't intend on dragging this fic out too long, ideally I want it to be less than 10 chapters. I will be doing quite a bit of time-skipping after establishing the different POV's.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters.**

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Penelope had a bounce in her step the next day. The team seemed to notice how she was radiating with her old happiness, something she had been missing since the fallout between her and Morgan. She received many comments on her good mood, and questions regarding the cause behind it. In response, she would just smile coyly and say she was having a great day.

She had a lot to sort out before she was able to share the news with her teammates, but she was optimistic. First things first, she had to find Kevin Lynch.

She found Kevin sitting in front of his computer, drinking a coffee. When he noticed her he motioned to the empty computer chair beside him and she sat down in it.

"Kev," she smiled warmly.

"Mornin' Pen. What can I do for you?" he reached down and hit the power button on his computer before leaning back in his chair and looking at her. She didn't come down to his floor to see him at work very often, they usually hung out on the weekends.

"Okay, I'm going to just come out and say it, I need a huge favour. You remember how I told you about that night with Der-Morgan?" she waited for him to nod "Well, I took a pregnancy test on the weekend, three of them actually, and they all came out positive."

For a minute, Kevin just stared at her with his mouth agape, before he broke out into a huge grin. "Congratulations Pen! You're going to be a mother!" he pulled her into a tight hug, only releasing her when she begged him not to make a production of it. "I can't help it, I mean, you're always telling me how much you want a family, and now you're going to have one of your own..." he noticed Penelope was no longer smiling. "Pen? What's wrong?"

"Kevin, I won't have a family. Just a child." She was looking down at her hands.

"What do you mean? You'll have a husband, a child, hell you're even going to have a dog!" he grinned at her, before faltering. "...You did tell him, right? Before you came to me, you told Morgan?"

Penelope glanced up quickly, sighing deeply. "Kevin, he hasn't spoken to me in two months. He'll barely look at me. He doesn't even call for information on cases anymore; he has JJ or Emily call all the time. Besides, he is very into his job. He wouldn't give that up to be a father. I'm not going to punish him for one mistake..." she felt the tears gathering in her eyes and pinched them shut. She wouldn't cry, not anymore. She had to look out for her child now.

Kevin stared at her for a minute, before drawing her into another hug. "It's going to be alright Pen, I promise you. You've looked out for me for the past year, and I'm going to look out for you now. Tell me what you need me to do." He spoke softly.

"Can you pretend to be the father? Just until I get approved for a transfer somewhere..."

"I can do better than that. I'm actually being considered for a transfer to Toronto, in Canada. The Toronto Police are asking for a serious technology revamp, and the FBI has offered to send a few of us analysts over to build the new system and train their employees. I'm sure if you talked to Hotch you could come over for the duration of the transfer. Me and you can bunk together at an apartment and I can help you take care of the little bundle of joy. The transfer would most likely be for about two years, that'll give you enough time to adjust to being a mother."

Penelope stared at Kevin for a minute, before tearfully grinning and crushing him in a hug. "Kev, you rock! This will be perfect! When do you think they'll start sending people over? I want to go before I start to show."

"Well, the earliest they were talking was the beginning of March. That should give you enough time to tell the team you're pregnant, and considering a transfer. They can celebrate with you, but they won't be around when the baby is born. But Pen, you know that eventually he's going to find out, right?"

"No, he won't. From what I've heard, he is being offered a position in New York. He might end up taking it, and if he does, chances are I'll never see him again, even if we do come back here." She smiled brightly. "Kevin, thank you so much for doing this. I'm going to head back up to my floor and corner Hotch. I'll tell him about the transfer." With a final hug and wave good-bye, Penelope was gone.

Kevin stared after her, shaking his head with a soft smile on his face. He was more than happy to pretend to be the father of Penelope's child. He had always wanted a family, but being gay and living in America made it impossible for him to achieve that. But now, it didn't matter. He was going to experience fatherhood through Penelope. His best friend had given him so much already, and taking her with him to Canada was the least he could do to return the favour. Derek Morgan had no idea what he was missing out on.

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When Penelope got back to the bullpen, the whole team was at their desks, finishing up paperwork from the last case. Morgan looked up when she came in, but quickly went back to his paperwork when he saw it was her. She scoffed at him, but refused to let his dismissal ruin her good mood. She made her way to Hotch's office and knocked.

"Come in. " he barked out gruffly.

"Hey Bossman!" she exclaimed brightly, walking in and shutting the door behind her.

"Garcia, what can I do for you?" it was strange for Penelope to come to his office, she usually spent most of her time in her self proclaimed 'cyber cave' or at the case briefings. Rarely did she leave to seek him out.

"Well, I actually wanted to talk to you about a transfer. Lynch told me there were some openings for the Toronto relocation, I'd like to be considered for it."

Hotch was silent for a moment, staring at Garcia. He had always found it hard to profile her, but not he found it downright impossible. Her face was a mask of indifference, she was just patiently waiting for a response. "Toronto...is there some particular reason for this sudden request?"

"I just need a change of scenery, and I think some time away from murder investigations will do me some good sir. I'm not as suited to them as the rest of the team."

"Yes, I sometimes forget you're a technical analyst and not a field agent. Well Garcia, I'll consider your request and look into the transfer. I expect you'll be telling the team of your decision to transfer?"

"Yes sir, I'll let them all know as soon as the details get sorted. Until then, I'd prefer that this remain between us." she smiled at Hotch, she practically considered him her father.

"Of course. If that's all, then the team has a case debriefing in 20 minutes." He nodded at her and went back to his paperwork.

When Garcia left the office, she was grinning from ear to ear, and practically skipped into her 'cyber cave'. She had a lot to do and only a short amount of time to do it. She knew Hotch would grant her transfer request, which meant she had just over a month to pack up her apartment, inform the team, and let them in on her pregnancy.

"It's going to be a busy month..." she decided. "But it'll be worth it." She smiled and put a hand on her abdomen.

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**Okay, so its longer than the last time. Little bit slow, but I've got to set up her transfer. Pretty soon I'll be time-skipping ahead. Like I said, I've got no beta so any mistakes are mine. Point them out and I'll fix them. Also, if you've got any ideas or input for this story, let me know! I'm always looking for new things to incorporate, either in this story or others.**


	3. Coming Home

**Given the fact that it's been two years since I've updated, or written anything, I've decided to do a major time jump :) We're skipping Penelope's pregnancy and life in Toronto. This chapter is a mix between a filler and a plot-driver. Forgive me for any errors, I'm trying to get back into the swing of writing.**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed the first two chapters (I know I'm two years late in saying this). Despite the fact that I haven't updated in years, it's still nice to receive alerts that show me someone is reading :)**

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Penelope fidgeted nervously as she waited at the airport for her ride. Her hand was clenched around the handle of the car seat she was holding, and she had to concentrate on nothing swaying it too much. It had taken over an hour on the plane for her daughter to fall asleep, and she wasn't looking forward to a repeat performance until she was settled in her apartment.

The plane ride from Toronto to Virginia was exhausting. Between deciding to take an early morning flight despite her lack of patience in the mornings, to the fact that baggage checks were so much more difficult when she had to carry a barrage of baby items, it was an experience she didn't plan to repeat anytime soon.

She felt the car seat shift a bit in her hands, and quickly glanced down to ensure her daughter was still asleep. She couldn't help the smile that crept onto her face when she examined her six month old child. Caramel coloured skin, and light brown hair that already showed telltale signs of being wavy when it grew out more. The tiny gold bracelet Kevin had bought her was clasped onto her chubby little wrist with "Chloe" engraved on it.

Thinking back on her pregnancy, she remembered just how hard it had been for her to decide on a name. She always considered name-picking to be a job for both parents, where they would bicker and nitpick each other's selection until they came to a mutual agreement on the perfect name. For her, it had been an individual process, and that had made it even more difficult. She had driven Kevin insane for the better part of three months bouncing back and forth between options. Finally, when she told him that she thought Chloe was 'the one' he ran out and bought the engraved baby bracelet so she couldn't change her mind again.

Coming out of her reverie, she once again glanced out at the pickup area, waiting to get a glimpse of a familiar SUV. She had wanted to rent a car, but once Emily and JJ had found out she was coming back to Virginia, they had insisted on picking her up personally. They had yet to see Chloe, not even in pictures. Penelope hadn't wanted to risk anyone showing them to Derek before she knew he was transferred to New York.

A week ago, she had finished up her portion of the work in Toronto and decided to come back to Virginia. She loved working in Toronto, and found it suited her perfectly since she was able to do most of it from home. She hadn't needed to go on maternity leave at any point since she spent most of her time coding at home. She had successfully been balancing her work and home life.

She had expected to be there for at least two years, but in her usual Garcia-manner, she had been quicker and more efficient than expected, and finished early. It had only taken a year for her to finish the work, which meant she had to choose what was best for her and her six-month old infant. Toronto was nice, but it wasn't home. She wanted Chloe to grow up with the BAU team around her. She wanted Chloe to have a family, and the members of the BAU were the best family she would ever be able to ask for. With that in mind, she had started packing.

Kevin had ended up meeting someone, and decided to apply for a permanent transfer working with the Toronto Police Service. Penelope was sad to see him stay behind, but she was beyond grateful for the help he had been during her pregnancy and afterwards, and was ecstatic that he finally found someone to settle down with.

That brought her to today, standing in the noisy pickup area of the airport with a ridiculous amount of luggage, waiting for Emily and JJ to show up. She didn't look forward to the moment they looked at Chloe, and realized just who the real father was. Her only consolation was that she could claim that she was exhausted and needed to get Chloe home as a way to speed up the drive and delay some of the more uncomfortable questions.

She heard a honk, and looked up to see a large black SUV with tinted windows stopped in front of her. Penelope grinned as the driver's door opened, and she immediately started gathering as much of her luggage as she could manage with a car seat on her arm.

Her smile melted off her face when she looked up and saw just who had stepped out of the car. She immediately felt her heart clench, sweat begin to form on her brow and her stomach knotting up. Just a few feet in front of her, looking as calm as ever, stood Derek Morgan.

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**Well, that's it, short and to the point. Let me know how you liked it. I know I did a huge time jump, and some of the timeline may not make sense. Any issues will be worked out later on :)**


	4. The Drive

**Thanks so much for the positive feedback everyone. I'm definitely looking forward to finishing this story up in the next little while. As I stated in a previous chapter, I don't want to drag this one out, I'd ideally like to have the finished story be less than 10 chapters long. **

**Also, just in case some of you aren't aware of the formatting options available while reading fanfiction (I didn't up until a few months ago, shame on me for not paying attention!) there are options for page size, spacing, font size, etc. in the upper right corner of the page. I find it easier to read with the page set at ¾ or ½ instead of full. Check the settings out if you haven't already.**

**Please feel free to send me any ideas you've got about where this story should go, I love to hear and incorporate them if I can :) **

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For a brief moment, Penelope could do nothing but stare at him. Dread coiled in her stomach, and she wasn't quite sure what to do. Part of her wanted to hug him; another wanted to slap him as memories of how he treated her resurfaced in her mind. Above all else, she wanted to shelter her daughter from him for as long as possible.

When she didn't move forward, or verbally acknowledge him, Derek took a few steps closer and tilted his head at her in confusion. "Garcia, are you sick?" he questioned as the profiler in him analyzed her pale, sweaty face and trembling hands. He reached out to take the car seat from her, not looking down at the child inside because he was so focused on Penelope's horror-stricken face.

Seeing him reach out for the car seat, Penelope took a step back and turned her body so it was further away from him. "N-no, it's okay, I'll hold this. Can you, uh, maybe help with my luggage instead?" She stuttered out, forcing an awkward smile on her face. Seeing him nod and move to take her suitcases instead, she let out a deep breath and bolted for the back seat of the SUV.

"Thank god for rear-facing car seats and tinted windows." she muttered as she buckled Chloe's seat into place. As an extra measure, she pulled the cover of the car seat over Chloe to give some extra concealment if Derek happened to look into the backseat while driving. She was suddenly grateful for the three-rows of seating in the SUV, it kept Derek from seeing Chloe as he loaded the trunk up with their luggage.

She knew she should tell him. Penelope Garcia never considered herself to be a woman who would keep a child from her father, but she was still terrified of what his reaction would be. Chances are, he would be mad no matter what. The question still remained on whether he would be angry because she didn't tell him, or because she had his child in the first place. Derek had made it perfectly clear what he thought of their one-night stand. She couldn't stand the thought of subjecting her daughter to the same rejection she had faced.

She heard him shutting the trunk, and she quickly shut the door to the back seat, wincing at the loud noise and praying Chloe wouldn't wake up. As she got in the front seat she glanced back quickly to assess how effective her concealment measures had been, and was satisfied that Derek wouldn't get a glimpse of Chloe during the drive.

She buckled her seatbelt when she heard him get in beside her, desperately trying to find a distraction that would prolong the moment she had to look over at him. After taking a considerable amount of time to deal with her belt, she finally sighed and looked over at him.

"I thought Emily and JJ were coming to get me? I didn't even realize you were in Virginia." She said rather suddenly.

Relieved that she was finally speaking to him, Derek quickly replied "They got called on a case a few hours ago. Since they knew I came back from New York last night, they asked if I could pick you up. They sent me your address, and told me a time to be here."

"Oh, so I guess you're just down to visit. How is the job in New York?" she asked, trying to make small talk as he pulled out of the airport. She only had to make it last for twenty minutes, just twenty minutes and she'd be home.

"No, I'm here to stay. I thought Hotch would have told you that my transfer to New York was only temporary, a three month assignment. I'm back with the BAU full-time now." He glanced at her when he heard a sharp intake of breath. He wanted to take a few minutes to profile her, but it was almost impossible to do while driving.

"N-no, uh, Hotch never mentioned that." She quickly stuttered, trying to control her breathing. She had to get a hold of herself; he was a profiler, and a damn good one at that. One sign of her not acting right and he would go into overdrive and start analyzing her actions.

Derek stared at her hard for a second, noticing how she stared out the window instead of looking at him. She was wringing her hands, and seemed to be forcing herself to take even breathes. It was all rather confusing. "So, a baby huh? I didn't even know you were pregnant when you left. Found out from JJ a month after you transferred." He tried to keep the accusation out of his voice, but wasn't sure if he succeeded. He had been quite astonished to hear of her pregnancy, and how she and Lynch packed up and transferred to Toronto.

Penelope clenched fists, and closed her eyes. "Yeah, well, I figured it wouldn't matter all that much to you. We hadn't been talking for almost three months by the time I left." She fought to keep the bitterness out of her statement, it still hurt to know that he had so easily cut her out of his life. Seeing him shift a bit beside her, knowing he was uncomfortable, she quickly changed the subject. "JJ and Emily knew because I accidently told them when we all went out for lunch one day, they decided to throw me a baby shower before I left. Reid also knew because he's just smart like that, you can't get anything past that kid." She smiled at the memory of the baby shower, and Reid timidly asking her when she was due.

Derek was relieved at the change in subject, he felt a pang in his chest when he heard the bitterness and hurt in her voice as she spoke about his treatment to her. He cleared his throat, and quickly asked "How was Toronto?"

"It was nice, really nice. Lots of diversity, plenty of things to do, not that I could do a whole lot with a newborn baby to take care of." She smiled at the thought of how beautiful the city had been to her. It had been a haven for her at a time when she needed refuge, and a place to escape to. "The work was also really good for my, uh, situation. I did almost everything from home, and I got a lot of freedom. That's something I don't get in Virginia, being property of the government and all…" she trailed off.

"So why didn't you stay?" he asked her, glancing over.

"Aside from the fact that I'm the property of Uncle Sam?" she raised an eyebrow at him. "It wasn't home. Virginia is where my friends are, and I want my daughter to know her family out here." She spoke quietly.

"And what about Lynch? Where's he? He's the kids father, he should have been travelling with you and helping you set up your apartment." He grit the words out, still disliking Lynch who had taken Penelope away from Virginia.

"Kevin still has work to do in Toronto." She lied quickly, no need for Derek to find out about Lynch's true orientation this soon. Information like that would just open up a whole new can of worms. "And my apartment is already set up. I'm living in a condo, and I already picked everything out for it online. I called ahead, and had the building manager let in the delivery people. Hotch and Rossi went ahead and set up all my furniture earlier in the week, and Reid picked up my groceries a few days ago. It's all ready to be lived in." she smiled happily at the thought of her new home, and how helpful her friends had been in getting her situated.

"Oh, I see…" he was unsure of what else to say. It seems like he had been the only one on the team unaware that Penelope was coming back to Virginia. All the others had been in the loop, and helping her for the better part of a week. He wasn't sure what to make of it.

They both stiffened when they heard a soft gurgling noise from the backseat. Penelope waited for a minute, praying Chloe wouldn't start to cry. She let out a deep breath of relief when no noise followed the gurgle. "False alarm, she makes noises in her sleep sometimes. We probably hit a bump that jarred her for a second, that's all." She couldn't keep the soft smile off her face when she thought of her daughter.

Derek relaxed as well, glancing into the backseat but unable to see the baby because of the cover on the car seat. "I never even asked her name, I'm sorry, she's been so quiet I kind of forgot she was there to be honest…" he murmured quietly.

"Her name is Chloe. She's six months old now." Penelope answered, kind of relieved that he hadn't been spending a lot of time in the car thinking of Chloe in the backseat.

"Chloe, huh? That's a nice name. Did you come up with it, or did Lynch?"

"I did. Took me a long time to narrow it down too. You don't realize just how hard it is to choose a name until you actually sit down and attempt it" she laughed, remembering all the time she'd spent scouring through baby books, and looking online for the best possible name.

"I can imagine, it's a lot of pressure, trying to name someone. So much of our identity is in our name. So, does her name match what she looks like? I bet she looks like you, Chloe is a name that would suit you, so I'm willing to bet it suits her."

"Uh, well the name suits her well I think. But she doesn't look like me, she actually looks a lot like her daddy. Almost a spitting image except for her eyes, she's got my eyes." Penelope answered him awkwardly.

Derek grimaced, imagining a miniature version of Lynch. "Er, that's good I guess…"

"Mmhmm," Penelope smiled, noting that they were pulling up to her building now. The SUV came to a stop in front. "Well, thanks for the ride. I can handle it from here, the doorman will help me with my stuff." She motioned to the man at the door, who came down and immediately greeted her warmly.

Derek nodded and got out of the car, moving to open the trunk for the man. As soon as he was unloading the trunk, Penelope scrambled out of the car and hastily unbuckled the car seat, trying not to jar it too much. She kept the hood of it up, and glanced around at Morgan before stepping back with it, making sure to face the opening away from him.

"Well, thanks again Der-Morgan. I appreciate that you came to get us. Hailing a cab at the airport is almost impossible." She smiled, watching as the doorman quickly carried her luggage inside.

Derek nodded, and moved to the driver's side, opening the door. "Not a problem Garcia. I'm assuming I'll see you on Monday in the bullpen?"

"Yep, I'll be there. Any idea on when the team is coming back from this case? I know it's hard to know, but-" she was cut off by a loud wail. She looked down at the car seat, and grimaced. "Well, someone's up. I've gotta go Morgan, she's probably hungry. I'll see you on Monday!" Penelope waved, and quickly took off into the building.

Derek stared after her, his eyebrow raised. For a second, he saw into the carseat, and could have sworn he saw a small caramel coloured face, much too dark to match Penelope or Kevin's light skin. He shook his head, writing it off as the shadow that the car seat hood had cast, and started the car.

He still couldn't shake the feeling that something strange was happening when he drove away from the building and towards his own place.

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**So, what did you think? Not too much action, but within the next two chapters we're looking at Derek figuring things out. Give me some suggestions on how you want this story to unfold from this point!**


	5. Mondays

**Once again, thank you all for the overwhelming response to this story. I love the ideas you all send me, and I plan on incorporating a few of them into the story when I can.**

**Sorry for the delay on updating. I'm sure you've discovered by now that I'm a rather lazy author. :)**

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Penelope had been busy for the past few days. After the fiasco with Derek being sent to pick her up at the airport, she had been a nervous wreck. It had been a close call, and she couldn't be sure that he hadn't gotten a few glimpses of Chloe during that time.

Thankfully, her condo had been set up and fully stocked when she walked in. The team had clearly spent a good amount of time arranging the furniture, and she was delighted to see that they had completely decorated the nursery in a rainforest theme.

Within three days of her arrival in Virginia, the team had arrived home. Her first visitors had of course been JJ and Emily. Her nerves were shot by the time they asked to see Chloe, who had been napping for most of their visit. When Penelope brought her out, and allowed them to get their first glimpse, neither of them could hide their shock.

The interrogation that had followed wasn't pleasant, and it was generally agreed on that Penelope should tell Derek about Chloe before he found out on his own. He wouldn't be happy about it either way, but at the very least he should have the courtesy of hearing it from Penelope herself.

Nonetheless, Emily and JJ were immediately enamoured by Chloe, and they stayed for hours to coddle the six-month old, only leaving when it was time for Chloe (and Penelope) to get to bed. They had promised not to mention anything to Derek for the time being, but they encouraged her to speak to him about it soon.

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It was Monday morning, and Penelope was completely screwed. The babysitter had cancelled at the last minute, and there was no way Penelope was going to call in on her first day back at work. That left only one option, she had to bring Chloe with her to work.

She called Hotch, who as always was at the office hours before everyone else, and asked him if it would be okay. He immediately approved, reminding her that she wasn't taking maternity leave, so some allowances could be made for her. He also mentioned that Strauss was on vacation for the next month, so they didn't have to worry about her breathing down their necks about it.

Deep down she had hoped that Hotch wouldn't approve, and she would be told to stay home. Not because she didn't want to work, but because she hadn't told Derek about Chloe yet. It was going to be damn near impossible to explain why her child looked nothing like her or Kevin. He was a profiler, he'd know in a second who Chloe's real father was.

Her nervousness had increased tenfold by the time she had arrived at work and dashed from the elevator to her beloved cyber cave. When the door had closed behind her, and she was able to put down the car seat and baby-bag she finally let out a sigh of relief. She had come an hour early just so she could avoid the team members who didn't know about Chloe's parentage yet. Hotch had thankfully been busy on the phone, and she had scrambled past his office with a quick wave and no questions asked.

Hearing a soft cry, she looked down at Chloe and smiled grimly "Well, we're really in trouble now, aren't we?" she muttered as she started up the computers and pulled Chloe out of the car seat.

By the time lunch rolled around, Penelope had calmed down considerably. Immediately after she got Chloe situated in a carrier that attached her to her chest, she had hacked into the security footage of the bullpen. She was able to watch out for anyone coming towards her door, and more importantly she was able to keep track of Derek.

In the four hours she had been there, she had worked with a backlog of requests her replacement hadn't been able to get to. She had also fed Chloe, changed two diapers, and firmly decided she didn't ever want to have to bring Chloe to work ever again. Chloe squirmed and wigged constantly, and Penelope had to get up every few minutes and bounce around to soothe her when she got irritated from being stuck in the carrier.

She was relieved when she glanced at the security feed, and spotted JJ and Emily coming towards her door. They knocked quickly, and stepped inside, laughing at the image of Penelope with a baby strapped to her chest.

"Well, it looks like you've been busy" Emily commented as she glanced around and saw the contents of the baby bag scattered all over the room.

"You have no idea. In between the diaper changes, feedings, and getting caught up on all this work, I'm ready to throw in the towel." Penelope sighed, standing up to bounce Chloe around again as she began fussing.

"Then you'll be glad to hear that we're going to save you for the time being. It's time for lunch, and since there's nothing to do here, the entire team wants to get together and do lunch at that Italian place down the street." JJ shook her head at Penelope's panicked face "Morgan won't be there. He had to run out, said he'd catch up with us all back at the office later."

Penelope quickly calmed down, and blushed. "I know I should have told him, but it's been so hectic. I honestly plan on telling him this weekend sometime. I might corner him on Friday."

"Well, that's one way to start a man's weekend…" Emily laughed. "Though I suppose it's better than springing it on him first thing Monday morning." she shook her head.

"Okay! No more Derek talk! I'm hungry and I'm slowly losing circulation where these straps are digging in," Penelope headed out of the office. "Oh, by the way, does anyone else know who Chloe's father is yet?"

Seeing JJ and Emily both shake their heads, she sighed and muttered "Well, lunch should be eventful…"

* * *

Penelope hadn't been wrong about the spectacle lunch would turn into. The team had all decided to head over on their own, and unfortunately Emily, JJ and Penelope had been the last ones to show up. As they approached the table, Penelope watched the eyes immediately snap to Chloe in her carrier.

The reactions had varied. Hotch's eyebrows rose, and then his face immediately settled into its normal calm façade. In true Hotchner fashion he seemed to take the revelation in stride.

Rossi had started standing, mouth opening and closing a few times, before he just shook his head and plopped back down in his seat. He immediately raised his hand for the waitress and asked that a bottle of wine be brought to the table.

Reid's reaction had been the most entertaining by far. Almost as soon as he glanced at Chloe, he made a strangled noise, and his eyes widened in wonder. He stood up and leaned forward, pointing at Chloe and staring at Penelope "Is she…?" he didn't seem brave enough to fully ask the question so he instead just sat back down.

JJ and Emily both smiled as if nothing was wrong. They sat down and began looking at their menus avidly.

Penelope smiled awkwardly, shrugging her shoulders and saying simply "Shit happens."

Her blasé comment immediately eased the tension, and everyone laughed wholeheartedly.

The rest of lunch was spent drinking wine (never mind that they all had to be back at work in an hour) and catching up. Penelope skimmed over the more graphic details of her liaison with Morgan, and instead focused on her life in Toronto.

On her way back to the office it occurred to Penelope that this was what she had been missing in Toronto. It was the good times she had with her BAU family that she had come back for, those were the things she didn't want her daughter to miss out on.

* * *

The rest of the workday had flown by after that. Without a doubt the two glasses of wine had loosened Penelope up some, and the fact that she no longer had to worry about explaining anything to the team was a load off her shoulders.

Now there was only one thing she had to be concerned about, and that was finding a way to tell Morgan about Chloe. She resolved to herself that she would tell him on Friday, no excuses.


	6. Explanation

**Once again, thanks for the positive feedback on the story!**

* * *

Penelope had been pacing in her living room for the better part of ten minutes. It was Friday night, and true to her promise, she planned on telling Morgan about Chloe. The only problem she had faced was trying to find a way to get him over to her place without being awkward; she didn't want to get him on edge before she even started talking.

The solution she had come up with was to invite the entire BAU team to her house for dinner after work. She had scheduled a babysitter to have Chloe until around 8pm, and had given the team a heads up on what she planned. They wholeheartedly agreed to find a way to inconspicuously leave around 7:30, while she engaged Morgan so he would stick around a bit longer.

The plan had been flawless, and its execution even more so. The team had come over and enjoyed dinner and a few glasses of wine. Right on cue around 7:20, Emily and JJ began giggling and swaying on their feet, prompting Hotch and Rossi to immediately whisk them to the cars and escort them home. Reid was adamant that he came with Hotch, and would get a ride home from him as well. Before Morgan knew what was happening, he was alone with Penelope.

There had been a tense silence between them for a minute, before Penelope moved to start collecting the wine glasses and plates from the tables. Morgan had immediately intercepted her, and insisted that he do dishes since she had cooked.

That left Penelope where she was now, pacing the living room and waiting for Morgan to come out of the kitchen. In her mind, she tried to plan out what she would say to him. Unfortunately, she couldn't seem to come up with anything that he would take well. Then again, he probably wouldn't take the news very well no matter how she told him.

She immediately began wondering if she was doing the right thing. He clearly didn't want to be a part of her life, he had proven that the morning he took off and cut all ties with her. How would he react to the news that he had a child? Probably the exact same way. He would turn and walk right out of their lives without glancing back.

Penelope immediately felt her breath catch in her throat, and felt the telltale sting in her eyes. She clenched them shut, determined not to start crying now. No matter how she thought he would react, she owed it to Chloe to try. Even if he was furious with her, he might still want to be a father to Chloe.

She heard the water turn off in the kitchen, and immediately look at the clock; 7:45. She really hoped the babysitter didn't show up early, that would certainly be difficult to explain.

Morgan stepped out of the kitchen, and moved towards Penelope almost cautiously. "Are you…okay?" he asked her slowly, motioning towards her red eyes when she gave him a confused look.

"Oh, uh…yeah I'm fine Morgan. I've just got a lot on my mind, that's all…" she replied haltingly. "Look, could you stick around for a few minutes? I just wanted to talk to you about something," she watched as his expression took on an almost apprehensive look "It's important! I promise." She added.

"Sure, no problem. You know I'd do anything for you Penelope." He responded, genuine warmth in his voice.

Penelope didn't respond, she just looked down at the floor for a minute before immediately heading for the couch and sitting down.

"Pen, you do know that, right? I know things didn't exactly go…as planned, between us, but that doesn't mean I don't care about you the same way." He quickly joined her on the couch, looking down at his hands.

"Look Morgan…" she started.

"Derek." He interrupted her before she could continue.

"What?" she asked incredulously.

"My name is Derek. I believe you also had a few other names for me," he smiled wryly at that "but at the very least I'd like you to call me Derek again. We aren't strangers you know."

Penelope sighed, looking up at him in exasperation. "Fine, _Derek_. I've got something important to tell you…I need you to promise me you'll listen until I finish before you say anything, okay?"

He seemed to sense she was serious about this, so he just nodded solemnly and waited.

Taking a deep breath, Penelope began speaking. "Okay, so, I'm sure you remember _that _night. Or, at least I hope you do…" she trailed off for a minute, a hurt expression flashing across her face for a second. "Anyways, I'm not here to talk about that night, because obviously it was a big mistake and quite frankly I'd rather not reminisce about the morning after."

"Pen-" he started, and was quickly silenced by the sharp look she gave him.

"You don't need to explain, and I asked you not to interrupt." She quickly responded, not wanting to hear his weak excuses or apologies. "Anyways, it happened. But it wasn't quite _all_ that happened. Before I transferred to Toronto, I found out that-" she was stopped by the sound of someone knocking on the door.

Derek's focus also shifted to the door, and he glanced at Penelope only to see her frozen and not moving. "Is that the babysitter? I know you said you get Chloe back around this time." When she still didn't respond to him, he stood up and walked to the door.

Penelope was frozen in place. The babysitter was a few minutes early, normally it wouldn't matter, but it couldn't have come at a worse time that night. She hadn't gotten a chance to tell him about Chloe, and here was the babysitter at the door with Chloe in hand.

Suddenly, she started when she heard the door opening and the sound of her babysitter chatting happily. Her eyes widened, and she shot up off the couch "No! Derek, I'll get her!" but it was too late.

Holding the car seat, Derek Morgan stood there staring down at Chloe, his eyes wide and his face pale.

* * *

**BAM! He knows! Reviews will make me post the reaction faster ;)**


	7. Reactions

Derek had a look of muted horror on his face as he stared at Chloe, seemingly unable to look away. He distinctly heard the door close as the babysitter left, but he didn't look over. His eyes trailed over her form, taking in the obvious similarities. The most glaring one was her skin colour, slightly lighter than his, but clearly too dark to be Kevin's. Her facial structure was strikingly similar to his, the same brows, cheeks, nose and chin. The only noticeable differences between himself and Chloe seemed to be her eyes, which were staring up at him in fascination, and her lips which seemed slightly fuller than his own.

Penelope watched him take in Chloe one bit at a time, and she knew immediately that he recognized each and every similarity between them. He wasn't a profiler at the BAU for nothing, he had been trained to focus on details, and in the end it seemed like that would be her downfall. It would have been easy to lie and say that Chloe was the result of a one-night stand with someone else if he wasn't so meticulous about details.

After what seemed like forever, Derek finally looked up at Penelope. It was clear from the expression on his face that his shock was giving way to rage.

Penelope attempted to swallow the lump in her throat, and whispered brokenly "Derek…"

He walked over to her, and practically shoved the handle of the car seat into her hands. His own were trembling, and he kept clenching them into fists as if he was trying to regain some form of control. "Just _don't._" He said quietly, dangerously.

Penelope felt her words get caught in her throat, and she looked down at Chloe who was beginning to squirm and whimper. She had no idea what to say to him in that moment.

Derek suddenly turned and went right for the front door. He practically jammed his feet into his shoes, and stormed out of the condo without saying another word.

As soon as she heard the door slam, Penelope felt the tears welling up in her eyes. She put the car seat down on the floor, ignoring Chloe whose whimpers were quickly progressing into cries. After another minute of staring at the door, Penelope dropped to her knees and began to sob.

* * *

Eventually Penelope had gotten up from the floor, tears still streaming down her face and her breath still hitching. She looked at the clock and saw it was already 9pm. She had spent an hour mourning what she was sure would be the death of any relationship (friendship or otherwise) between her and Morgan.

Looking down at Chloe, who had stopped crying and was instead just looking around the room and fidgeting, she couldn't help but smile sadly. Morgan might not want to know his daughter, but that was okay, Penelope could be enough for Chloe.

She picked up the car seat and brought it into the nursery, unstrapping Chloe and hugging her close for a minute. She then lowered her into her crib and smiled. "I won't let you down Chloe; we're going to do this on our own. And we'll have our BAU family, won't we?" She winded up the mobile, and turned off the light before leaving the room.

Once she was back in the living room she picked up her phone where she noticed she had three new texts and a missed call, which unfortunately wasn't from Morgan. JJ, Emily and Kevin had all messaged her asking how things went. She ignored them all.

Grabbing the already opened bottle of wine and a glass that was still on the dining room table, she settled on the couch and began to drink.

* * *

Penelope stared at the computer screen in front of her, barely blinking. The weekend had flown by in a blur, and Monday morning had come far too soon. After downing the bottle of wine on Friday night and waking up with a fierce headache on Saturday morning she had decided that there would be no more moping. If Derek Morgan didn't want to be part of her, or Chloe's life then he didn't need to be. She would be fine with that.

On Monday she had dragged herself out of bed; dropped Chloe off at the babysitter's and firmly resolved that she wouldn't let Derek's rejection get to her. She plastered a big smile on her face and marched into the bullpen with her head held high. Whenever she passed someone she knew, she greeted them warmly and even struck up a few conversations.

No one but those on her actual team knew what she was going through. She had finally mustered up the courage to call Emily and JJ on Sunday, and after a lengthy explanation they had agreed that Morgan was being an asshole.

From the pointed looks she got from Hotch, Rossi and Reid she could only assume that they had been filled in on the entire situation as well. She wasn't bothered by it; she knew that the team supported her fully.

By the time she got to her office and booted up the computers, she found out that Derek hadn't shown up for work that day. She scoffed '_Probably got caught up with one of his one night stands.'_

Penelope spent most of the day in her office, only leaving to attend a briefing for the team. Within an hour of that briefing the team was flying out to Texas, sans Morgan since he hadn't shown up and no one was able to get in contact with him.

Right before they left Hotch walked up to Penelope with his go bag slung over his shoulder "Garcia, I need you to continue trying to call Morgan. This case looks bad, we're going to need him to fly out and join us."

Penelope grimaced, but quickly replaced it with a small smile "Yes sir. Don't worry about Morgan, I'll be sure to find him and send him your way. You guys just be careful, you need to focus on staying safe…" she trailed off. She absolutely hated it when the team had to go on a case, they were always dangerous and there was never any guarantee they'd all come back safely.

With a smirk, quite often the closest Hotch ever came to a smile, he replied "We'll do our best." He started walking towards the elevator, but stopped. "And Garcia, try talking to Morgan about Chloe again." With that, he got on the elevator and was gone.

Penelope stared at the elevator doors for a minute before she sighed. "Yeah, because that went so well last time…" she picked up her cellphone and immediately began trying to get in touch with Derek.

* * *

Penelope was startled awake by the sound of her cellphone ringing loudly on her nightstand. She rolled over and snatched it up, putting it to her ear and muttering out "This is Garcia." She was in no mood for one of her creative welcomes, it was almost 3am.

"…"

"Hello? Is someone there?" she sat up, listening intently for a response.

"Penelope…" was the only reply she got.

"Morgan! Where have you been? And do you have _any_ idea what time it is?" she hissed into the phone.

"I know, I know, I fucked up." There was a long sigh "What were you calling about?"

Penelope took a deep breath in, pushing away her irritation before responding coolly "The team left for Texas yesterday. They need you there."

She could picture him sitting up straighter as soon as she mentioned a case. "What are we looking at?"

"Three victims so far, all women in their late fifties. I worked with the team today, all we were able to determine is that there's more than one unsub. No solid leads." She replied, her tone all business.

"Listen, Penelope…" he trailed off, unsure of how to breach the topic of Chloe.

"Forget it Morgan. The team needs you right now, we can discuss our own issues later." She snapped. "I can get you on a commercial flight to Texas tonight, someone from the team can pick you up once you land." She was on her laptop already, airline websites flashing on the screen and she searched for the one with the earliest flight.

"Alright Pen, just tell me what airport I need to be at. I'll grab my go bag and hit the highway now."

"I'll text the information you need in a few minutes. Good luck with the case Morgan…be careful." She added before hanging up.

True to her word, five minutes later she sent Morgan his flight information and a message letting him know that Hotch would be picking him up at the airport.

Sighing, she closed her laptop and put her head in her hands. She didn't know how to talk to Derek anymore. He wasn't the man she had been friends with, and certainly he wasn't the man she had fallen in love with. She just wasn't sure how their relationship could ever be anything more than professional.

Setting the laptop aside, and rolling over she closed her eyes and willed herself to sleep.

* * *

Okay, so there you have it. You got Morgan's reaction :) Not sure that I'm entirely happy about how this chapter turned out, I'm considering a complete re-write but I figured I'd at least give you something new to read for now.


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